LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Wednesday

Jan 23, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Wintry storms like the ones that socked Southern Oregon recently worry utilities because they worry our customers. We start with the proposition that we want to keep power on all of the time. You know and we know that Mother Nature can sometimes rip that proposition to shreds. Our customers are resourceful, but the outages caused by these storms were unusual in scope and persistence.

Wintry storms like the ones that socked Southern Oregon recently worry utilities because they worry our customers. We start with the proposition that we want to keep power on all of the time. You know and we know that Mother Nature can sometimes rip that proposition to shreds. Our customers are resourceful, but the outages caused by these storms were unusual in scope and persistence.

We want to acknowledge the patience of our customers who understood that Pacific Power crews were hard at work bringing the lights back on. I'd like to especially thank residents in Butte Falls and Prospect for their patience. Snow aside, the large number of trees down impeded our access to damaged facilities. Customers did their part, in many cases clearing roads themselves, speeding our restoration efforts.

Our primary goal in an outage of this size is to restore power as quickly and safely as is possible. We work year-round on maintenance projects to increase reliability. Still, some exceptionally powerful storms will temporarily outstrip even our best efforts. But it's our job to keep the lights on and at Pacific Power, we are proud to serve you and thank you for the privilege and partnership. — Pat Reiten, president, Pacific Power

By reading the Tribune it is plain to see our local schools do not have enough money, our libraries need 6 cents more per thousand on property taxes, and the Heritage District needs 7 cents per thousand. Yet property taxes are delinquent to the tune of $36 million.

Or, based on the percentages on my tax bill, $14.4 million for education, $15.4 million for general government and $6.12 million to pay down our county bonds. Evidently our elected officials feel it is easier to ask those of us who pay our taxes on time for more and more rather than to get off their duffs and change the antiquated laws that allow this to happen.

It is no wonder the federal government is refusing more timber money. Jackson County already has $36 million they don't seem to need.

From now on I am with the feds. Until our elected officials make more effort to collect what is already owed them, I definitely won't vote to give them more money. — Galen Bogenoff, Central Point

How did our beloved nation get into such a mess as she is in today? We need to look at our actions over the past 60 years to see that we've allowed the following:

1. The government to print money unabated, which causes inflation.

2. The government through heavy taxes and regulations to run off our corporations.

3. Greed that caused the housing market mess.

4. Abortion and situation ethics instead of moral absolutes.

5. The idea that if you want it, buy it, which caused massive consumer debt.

6. Foreign aid, which caused us to become the greatest debtor nation.

7. No restriction on our leaders to keep them from the spend, spend, spend habit.

We are fast approaching the point beyond which it will be too late to escape a total collapse. God could deliver us, but why should he rescue a proud, morally sick, greedy culture that grows more brazen in its rebellion against him each day? — Gordon DeVos, Medford